@cyclopath that makes sense. When i was up there a few weeks ago i heard through the grapevine they had some major L taken while i was there. They were using similar equipment.
So funny Canadian “fact” they have a dog that can smell only $10,000 and more cash lmao
I’ve bout settled on this as a final design. I love my bag filters and I want the added benefit of media-embedded filtration to get rid of some color.
Thinking about adding a heat exchanger between the last two valves between lenticular filter and the second bag filter to improve adsorption in the lenticular.
Anyone got some thoughts?
Starting straight from the centrifuge ?
The best color remediation on etho crude is achieved with bentonite t5 and AC
Wonder where t5 could be implemented
@Shadownaught had been discussing in the fall they might be producing lenticular filters impregnated with bentonite soon. Maybe they’ve gotten closer?
I definitely like the idea of a heat exchanger to take advantage of the increased efficiency of adsorbents at higher temperatures.
I should have included the tank.
The centrifuge and this filter cascade are connected to a jacketed tank. So feed from centrifuge to tank, rechill and send through filter.
Rechill for the reason of winterizing I asume
If so adding bentonite to the tank will be a great option for long residence time
Floculation with the fats
Taken out with the first. Bag filter
Only draw back is your pump needs to be capable to pump slurry
Heavy agitation on the tank to keep the bentonite suspended can help
I guess
All good ideas, I have to be certain that all bentonite is retained because I feed the crude to a wiped-film.
You can see a pic the setup I was running in this post:
After this post, I switched it to 25um bag → 1um bag → 1um cartridge. I wasn’t using an AC cartridge, the last stage was just for clarification since the bag is only somewhere between 65-80% efficient. What I can tell you from that though is that you’re likely to exhaust the the absorption capacity of the AC before you see a significant pressure drop across the last stage. The 30" pleated cartridge in my setup would easily last for at least 1200+ gallons. I wish I had run an AC cartridge and could give you an idea of it’s lifespan. If running cost is a major issue, it would be worth at least trying to find out the approximate lifespan and $/gal cost of a 30" cartridge filter vs. a lenticular cartridge, as lenticular cartridges can be as much as 10x as expensive as a 30". My guesstimation is that lenticular would be the way to go.
Hey, I liked your post. I’d like to put in my 2 cents.
For winterization a recessed plate, center feed press is the best! This is different from a PIG/Maple press. The solution feeds from the center of the plates and floods all plates simultaneously. (No paper, No leaks) There is no plate #1 clogging before plate #20. They all filter and fill at the same rate. We precoat the filter plates with DE or Perlite and this creates a 3D surface (Depth Filtration) to prevent filter cloth from fouling prematurely. The DE/Perlite also makes a nice filter cake that is not messy to clean.
Anyways, by using a filter press you can filter whatever gallons of crude you like (thousands even) easily. It is the lowest cost, fastest way to filter high fats crude. This is what I am referring to.
The drawback to a press is that they need to be cleaned out manually. Automatic plate cleaning is extremely expensive, though available. Automated candle filters operate similarly to a filter press yet precoat, filter, clean, flush, etc… automatically. Similar tech but different animals. This is a candle filter.
Love your post BTW.
Anyone experienced with rotary vacuum drum filtration?
I’m sure you settled on a final design. Here are my thoughts.
If you are filtering from a centrifuge, as per your post, the biggest particles are the first needed to be removed, i.e. the biomass particulate that makes it into the stream.
Step #1. I like filter bags in the 10-25-micron range for this purpose. Bags are cheap and swapped out easily. Bags tend to fill easily but, whatever, they are cheap. Use the largest bag housing you can afford. A valve to recirculate your solution at this point is recommended as some particles make it past the bag.
I would not use a cartridge in step 1 because they tend to be expensive. It’s incredible how much you can spend per year swapping $30 cartridges!
For step #2 I like lenticular with DE infused. This creates a depth filtration that takes particles down to 10 microns or so.
Step #3 is carbon adsorption using lenticular.
Step #4 we use a cartridge filter, 3x 30” cartridges to be exact, and can go down to 0.2 microns. We use cartridge last because not only will I capture any carbon that falls of my lenticular, but I can go to a small micron at a cheaper price than if I did this on my #2 step lenticular.
In the end, every time you have to swap out all lenticulars and cartridges, you will be out about $1,000 (for our size setup anyway). You want this to last as long as possible without sacrificing quality. I think this is the best way to do that.
About how to pump the solution through the filters, we love AODD pumps. When forced air is used, sometimes when you run out of solution in your holding tank, forced air runs through the filters at great pressure and well, breaks shit. This doesn’t happen easily with AODD. Also, you must use a damper with an AODD, which solves fluctuation issues.
I looked into it but most are open and would not work with solvent. Making them closed would be expensive.
Well first off, it’s an honor! You guys are some of the OGs for ethanol extraction filtration.
Next, I completely concur that staging filtration beginning with the least efficient option is the best (i.e. starting with a bag filter) and the staging down to 10 micron (with a DE embedded lenticular) followed by quick lenticular with carbon and finally a cartridge filter. Sounds like about the best you’re going to get for a quick and simple filtration with minimal consumable cost relative to going straight through a cartridge.
Also, $19,000k for that skid is a STEAL. If you’re looking for a skid this is a helluva a good option.
I’m not currently, but I’ll keep it in mind for next time I am.
Thanks for the good responses!
You ever seen a continuous self cleaning jacketed filter?
They make them down to 1 micron
Only thing better is membranes
Wow, that’s pretty! I wonder how well it will work with waxes since they are so delicate… also how expensive it is.
We use candle filters for self-cleaning needs.
How much do these go for? How good are they for filtering fats, waxes, lipids, chlorophyll, all the stuff you don’t want.
Good find.
Its jacketed so it all depends on the chiller you hook up to it
Running cold solution through it without a jacket on it doesn’t work that well
I have a video of Joel running this thing on my IG Extractech, vincent told us about these and brought one out for a demo
Did they get one?
